Author's Notes: Apologies to everyone for the two years and eleven months delay. I've been reading a massive pile of other people's work and going over my previous works, and finally decided that I need to get at least one of more chapters per story before I get more involved in other activities.

Starting to falter in my writing chapters - my muse may be going on strike as I'm hearing mutters from her direction that she works for Disney, not Hustler.

Yes, much the same as last time and still working on excuse removal. I've retired and am now "funemployed" to use a term from the What The Hales Youtube channel. Trying very hard not to get buried under piles on new-to-me stories, finish up more RC model airplanes so I have lots of planes to fly when the province-wide Saty-At-Home order expires, which includes all outdoor activities like golf, which means model airplanes.

To top things off, we have a new acquisition, a male Jack Russell Terrier named Dash. Housebreaking to a new home, going for walkies and learning the basic commands. Engaging a trainer to get the new pup thoroughly socialized and well-mannered.

Sorry, no new stories to pass along, just new chapters to let you know that I'm still alive.

OOOOO-OOOOO

Touma slowly came awake with multiple bodies lying on and around him, but with a crusty feeling around his eyes and a burning sensation on the head of his penis and what felt like a serious case of "morning wood".

He tried shifting the bodies around him when he heard someone's soft shushing tones. "Gotta go, like now," he murmured and then felt someone gently moving arms from around him and pulling him upright.

Touma's eyes finally focussed and found that he was face-to-face with Kuroko, who was wearing what looked like a superhero cosplay uniform. She smiled and placed a forefinger on his lips and whispered, "you need to go to the washroom and then get dressed. Someone wants to talk to you on the phone and the call can't wait until tomorrow. Apparently, the bills for the orbital bollard have reached the desk of Aleistor Crawley and he want to talk to you about them. Now get up and get going. I'll slip into your room and get yesterday's clothing."

Touma picked himself up and slipped out of the room and across the living room, barely noticing the bodies lying all over the couches, chairs and the floor itself, plus the various tatami rooms. The only rooms that didn't seem to be filled with sleepers were his and Mikoto' parents' rooms. Closing the door of the washroom, he quickly wet a facecloth and proceeded to wash the grit out of his eyes, then his face, and then urinated and winced at the relief of pressure as well as the soreness of his penis. Wiping his penis with a cleaned facecloth, he noted the faint wash of blood as he wiped down his penis and then reached for a towel to dry himelf. The door opened, and Kuroki stepped in and handed him his clothing just as he started to wipe his groin area and winced at the discomfort.

Kuroko snickered. "We all feel that way, you stud you. You wore everyone out, including yourself. Come on, we have to talk to Mister Crowley before anyone one else interrupts him or us."

Touma tried to get dressed as quickly as possible, considering the general discomfort. "Kuroko, how come you're wide awake and dressed in something that I've not seen you wear before?", Touma whispered as he pulled up his pants and tucked his shirt in before buttoning the pants and pulling up the zipper.

Kuroko blushed and started pulling him out of the bathroom and out of the suite and down the hall to the elevator. "Judgement has everyone implanted with a basic tracking and communications unit. Enough to jolt you wide awake and that you have a very important call coming in on your cellphone. I had to go down to the front desk to call in as I have no idea where my cellphone went after we got started on tonight's 'adventure'. That's when I finally realized my state of dress and that I was standing at the front desk and needed something else to be wearing in public."

Touma snickered. "So dressing up as Supergirl is suitable attire?"

"Yes, since the Sisters gave me the ability to fly without teleporting," as the elevator arrived at the lobby and a phone at the front desk started to ring. The desk manager picked up the phone and was startled by whoever was on the other end.

"Mister Kamijo? Call for you. You can take is at the house phone, over there. The young lady knows which one."

A "pfft!" and Kuroko was picking up the house phone and holding it out to him.

"Hello?" went Touma.

"Ah, MisterKamijo, or would you prefer Touma? I am Aliester Crowley, and we met in the Windowless Tower some time ago. Now, before you start to panic, your orbital bollard incident is being covered, and I suspect that the events of the last couple days and especially last night, and everyone involved is being covered. This includes the wedding/engagement interview that your parents were holding. "

Touma went un-hunh.

"Touma," carried on Aliester Crowley. "your personal history has been extrapolated and the odds of a major event such as the Conquering Lady being stopped through the intervention of the Sisterhood, Railgun, Accelerator, and the Imagine Breaker, especially when you factor in the presence of Index Librorum Prohibitorum and the Magic/Religious faction asking for her but giving a direct translation of her name. 'Such misfortune' is your favourite line but absolutely apt in this case. Well, that ends now. If you have any issues or need assistance, have Miss Shirai call me at the number on her cellphone, and it will be auctioned."

"Wuh, wuh, wuh….. what can I say, sir?"

Aleistor chuckled. "I'll take a non-verbal Thank You as having been said. Oh, that's interesting….. Touma, you need to collect the other young ladies from last night. My sources are spiking that you all will needed down at the shipwreck shortly. Bye for now!"

Touma looked at the silent phone and then at Kuroko. "Crowley says that we all need to be down at the shipwreck, and he said shortly."

Kuroko took the phone and hung it up. "Then, darling, we need to wake the others and get them down here and out to the wreck. However, how are we going to do that, there are police and soldiers all over the beach?"

"Ah, " went a voice from behind Touma. "we have someone with a grimoire full of spells suitable for items like this. Touma, Kuroko, you snuck off and didn't expect everyone to notice?"

Touma turned and saw everyone else from the previous night, with Mikoto quirking an eyebrow and sparking. The elevator dinged and even more people from Academy City coming out.

Touma hugged the others and stepped back. "Kuroto got a wakeup call from The Board Chairman, Alister Crowley who wanted to talk to me. He yammered about having all this information on me and everyone else and somehow he's found something that says that we all need to be down by the shipwreck and now or rather shortly."

Index stuck her had in the air. "Pardon me for sounding suspicious, but it sounds like he knows something about the shipwreck that no one else does. Xould this be another trap from THEM when their first plan got taken out by our cunning counter-plan?"

A hand snaked through the crowd and bopped Index on the head. "Good question, Little One, and the answer is simple: I told him. Now, before everyone gets bent out of shape with seeming to have all of the details and doing a Deus Ex Machina job, you probably are correct. I tend to be impatient and push things along. Today is a 'push along' kind of day. I guess that everyone was focussed on defeating the Conquering Lady to think about who the Lady is, what her history is and what happens or could happen afterwards."

"Which is why we are all standing around in the lobby of a hotel and I have to get you all witness the next steps."

Kuroko drited up off of the floor and struck s 'Super' pose and pronounced, "So then why are we all standing here when we should be walking out the front doors and going where, beside the 'the shipwreck'?

Areile laughed. "Lead on, Macduff! Out the front door, down the beach to the stern, where you can admire the accuracy of your redirected shot, then down the length of the ship to the figurehead, and then figure out where we all go from there."

Kuroko rotated and looked at Ariel, square in the eyes. "You mean that you know all the possible outcomes of everything but don't have the free will to actually figure out A SOLUTION AND IMPLEMENT IT AND ARE TOTALLY TERRIFIED OF MAKING A WRONG DECISION. Am I right or not?"

Ariel blushed. "In this situation, you're absolutely right, Let's take a walk and talk this through."

Touna looked at Mikoto. "We might as well follow them. I have a sneaky feeling that this is going to be a big moment in Kyokou's life and we're going to be supporting cast members for a change.